Books

Welcome to my bookshelf

If you are passionately curious about people, technology, and business, and if you are a voracious reader as I am, then you have made a good decision in visiting this page :) My interest is mostly in non-fiction, but I'm always down for a good sci-fi read (Herbert, Lovecraft, and the like). Listed below are some of my favorites, and I will continue to add more. Currently, I'm reading 2 books on and off. Click the downward icon on the covers for some personal thoughts on the books themselves. Cheers and happy reading.

Current reads: 'Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life' by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D., and 'Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Handbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell' by Alan Eagle, Eric Schmidt, and Jonathan Rosenberg.

"Steve Jobs" by Sir Walter Isaacson

This book speaks for itself. Apple has revolutionized technology, personal computing, mobiles, design, user experience, music, brand trust and has even made credible impact in how we approach marketing, creative freedom, competition, innovation, and many other domains in a list that's too long for me to put in writing. All made possible because of one man's vision and the thousands who were willing to listen to him then and even today. The 40 personal interviews with Steve Jobs stated in this book are life lessons disguised as conversations.

"The Resurgence of Satyam: The Global IT Giant" by Zafar H. Anjum

A guilty pleasure read for any behavioral finance enthusiast. The author highlights the story of Ramalinga Raju, the former detested chairman and CEO of Satyam Computer Services (a then NYSE-listed large Indian IT company), and his efforts to cook the books and overstate profits. There was no sign of redemption when the embezzlement came clear and it is quite ironical that the word "Satyam" translates to the "Truth". The reader gets to dive deep into the details, the drama, and the aftermath involved in the corporate accounting scandal as well as Satyam's liberating acquisition from the Mahindra group. The book also includes the infamous letter sent to the Satyam Board by Raju, confessing his actions. Impossible to forget the depth of remorse conveyed in those words - "It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten."

"My life and Work" by Henry Ford

Men, Machines, Money, and Goods. Henry Ford's legacy is not without controversy. His personal opinions and actions, particularly during the early 1900s, have drawn warranted criticism and disagreement. Not discounting such wrongdoings, it is undeniable that Ford's principles and strategic approaches to manufacturing have significantly shaped transportation as we know it today. This book offers a second to none perspective on the American dream, allowing readers to experience the life of a true engineer, innovator and business magnate who changed the world forever with his relentless pursuit in changing the automobile industry through mass production and commercialization of vehicles.

"Alibaba's World: How a Remarkable Chinese Company is Changing the Face of Global Business" by Porter Erisman

Porter Erisman, one of Alibaba's first Western employees, who helped spearhead its international expansion gives an insider account in this book about the journey, culture, and growth of the Chinese dominant e-commerce player, Alibaba. Jack Ma's story about transforming the company into a behemoth from an obscure start-up is inspiring. Alibaba's success does not follow a theme or a timeline that's common in western conglomerates and the book illustrates it beautifully. It focused on an emerging market, painfully survived the dot com crash, and then eventually spun off several different businesses all while operating under an autocratic government. Jack Ma's legacy should definitely be spoken more.

"Moby Dick" by Herman Melville

"Call me Ishmael" has to be easily the most iconic one-liner introductions ever. lessons on the cost of ambition ? on perseverance? on greed? perhaps lessons on power? or just a ridiculously good novel for kids and adults alike. Whatever way you interpret "Moby Dick", you're transported immediately into a world of dark oceans and bizarre sailors on the hunt for an unusual antagonist, a giant white sperm whale. Get some tea. Get some earphones, and play a 2-hour loop of ocean wave music on very low volume while reading Moby Dick. You will find yourself repeating the very same thing many times over many years. This book is hauntingly engaging.

"What Went Wrong at Enron: Everyone's Guide to the Largest Bankruptcy in U.S. History" by Peter C Fusaro and Ross M Miller

It should come as no surprise that I like investigating corporate governance failures and financial scandals. The numbers are incomparable to Satyam, with the company's convoluted fraud practices having a worldwide impact. But the inspiration for reading this book was different. I had a brief intuition about Enron and its shady work back in the day but when I was exploring multiple datasets to tinker with NLP skills; a good recommendation was the massive Enron email corpus. From social network analysis to predicting key influencers in the "Enron economic event", the material (Enron datasets) is great to work with for any aspiring data scientist. From dramatic heights to a not-so-unexpected fall, this book is also useful for Wall Street enthusiasts (the morally right ones), accounting professionals, auditors, and essentially "numbers" people as it speaks clearly about money, its volatility, and the consequences of its poor management. You also get to understand the sequence of events that led to the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S history. Pro tip: a great addition to exploring Enron further is the 2005 documentary "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" by Alex Gibney. Another pro tip: Alex Gibney is my favorite documentary filmmaker and I cannot recommend his work enough. Just exceptional.

"The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World" by Pedro Domingos

For as long as I can remember, seeing Blade Runner many years ago was a pinnacle moment in my life. It helped me realize my interests, my ambitions, and my ever-growing and never-dying love for artificial intelligence (and Harrison Ford). A machine that is perfectly numerical inside and extremely high in function, yet at the same time portraying the same emotional facets that humans have. How is this possible? Will society change? What would happen to people and their jobs? And will the distinction between man and machine converge one day? Blade Runner answers some of these questions, but so does this book. It provides solid philosophical viewpoints and a deep dive into the AI systems that power large companies. Professor Domingos gives an honest take on why machine learning is the true superpower of the 21st century. The presence of this book in the personal library of a world leader, who holds significant influence and power, is a testament to the profound acknowledgment and serious consideration given to AI. With clean, satisfying explanations of different computing concepts, the book does not belie the fact that discovering the ultimate learning machine will be humanity's last invention.

"Deep Learning" by Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, Aaron Courville

A remarkable book, written by experts, for any computing/engineering student to get into the inner workings of neural networks. If you are willing to be patient and understand deep learning through the authentic science behind it, this book is for you (there is an online free version as well). I know it seems like an odd egg in this basket where the ones I have listed are all about business and tech, but I like this book and use it for many quick references, owing to clear explanations. The exercises are great for fundamentally sealing concepts and the book as a whole covers a broad range of topics in deep learning.

"The Nine Billion Names Of God" by Arthur C. Clarke

Ok Sachin, define "The Nine Billion Names of God" in 4 words. Chilling, scientific, religious, and apocalyptic. Easy 10-minute short story on the strength of science, the power of faith, and the hidden highway where the two fields meet.

"Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone" by Satya Nadella

Satya Nadella is possibly the most transformative CEO of all time. He single-handedly changed Microsoft (the stock was up ~120% within 3 years after he was appointed) and its dying businesses from a know-it-all mindset to a growth/learn-it-all one. And I'd like to think he was able to enact that change as an outcome of not just his skills, but certain experiences he went through in his personal life. In this great book about refreshing Microsoft's culture and purpose, he stresses a quality that I value a lot - Empathy. Empathy is underrated. Empathy or the absolute lack of it, defines you as a person, and what would entail if a company that revolutionized personal computing incorporated empathy in its daily work? This book illustrates how he was able to re-ignite the drive for Microsoft's employees and what his vision is for the future. Satya's life is remarkable and I have tremendous respect for him as an executive and as a person. Microsoft is now the de-facto place to head to for anything related to digital and enterprises and it's elating to know that a fellow Indian is bravely leading the corporation to new heights.

"Go Kiss the World: Life Lessons for the Young Professional" by Subroto Bagchi

A feel-good read about the life experiences of MindTree's humble founder Subroto Bagchi. It delivers a heartwarming tale of an Indian business executive with modest origins and how his love for his mother and her wisdom resonated in his life into creating MindTree - a multinational IT consulting company with a 6 billion $ market cap. The book is aimed at young India, for those who don't have much to start with in life but how capitalizing on their inner strengths can help them achieve wonders. After all, big things have small beginnings and I remind myself of it every time I move forward in life :)

"How Google Works" by Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg

My favorite book on this list by a mile. The perfect, just perfect 21st-century guide for anyone in the technology business. I would be more than willing to show you my handwritten notes and highlights that I have made in every chapter with no uneasiness of feeling eccentric if we ever met :D. Cannot recommend this enough. The book is not an exploration of how the search engine works but rather the management and leadership principles that govern its employees and how that drives Google (and should drive other companies) as a whole. I emphasize the significance of this guide due to its ability to underscore the notable shift in power bestowed upon consumers in today's technology landscape. What's even greater is that it's written by Eric Schmidt as well. You can clearly identify his no-bullshit, straight-to-the-point communication. And it ends on a very inspiring note. For someone who wishes to make a good impact on people and leave a strong legacy behind in the technology space, this book instills a true sense of possibility.

"Itch" by Simon Mayo

"Itch" by Simon Mayo is a gripping rollercoaster of a read that had me completely hooked from start to finish. It is aimed for young adults and Mayo's storytelling shines through as he expertly combines mystery, suspense, and a touch of science fiction to create an unforgettable experience. The main character, Itchingham Lofte, instantly became a favorite of mine with his sharp wit and knack for finding trouble. This series will appeal to both adventure enthusiasts and science buffs, especially if you are/were into chemistry.

Google Sites

Report abuse